Indian navy chief coming to NZ as countries prepare for regular joint maritime exercises
India’s Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Krishna Swaminathan. (Supplied photo)
The trip is part of the Indian navy chief's wider outreach in the region, including meetings in Australia.
Indian Navy chief Admiral Krishna Swaminathan will arrive in Auckland on Saturday as the two countries move towards holding regular bilateral naval exercises under a new maritime cooperation agreement signed in July.
Swaminathan, India’s Chief of the Naval Staff, began an official visit to Australia and New Zealand on September 9, with the Indian government saying the trip was aimed at strengthening cooperation with the Royal Australian Navy and Royal New Zealand Navy.
He is expected to spend September 12 to 14 in Auckland, where he will meet his New Zealand counterpart, Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Garin Golding.
His Auckland programme also includes meetings and interactions with fleet personnel and naval officers, a lecture and a visit to a naval ship.
Swaminathan is then due to travel to Wellington on September 14, where he is expected to meet Chief of Defence Force Air Marshal Tony Davies, visit a military camp and deliver another lecture before leaving for India the next day.
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During the New Zealand leg, discussions are expected to focus on operational cooperation, information sharing, training and professional exchanges.
The visit comes less than two months after prime ministers Christopher Luxon and Narendra Modi agreed a major expansion of defence and maritime ties during Modi’s July visit to Auckland.
India and New Zealand elevated their relationship to a Strategic Partnership on July 11 and adopted a Roadmap to 2030 that specifically commits the two countries to conducting naval activities, including bilateral naval exercises, under a new Maritime Cooperation Arrangement.
New Zealand describes one of the outcomes of the partnership as the establishment of “a regular bilateral naval exercise”, alongside increased navy-to-navy cooperation and a new Maritime Security Dialogue.
The Maritime Cooperation Arrangement signed in July creates a framework for India and New Zealand to work together through dialogue, coordination, information exchange and joint activities in the Indo-Pacific.
The countries also agreed on reciprocal logistical support between the Indian Navy and New Zealand Defence Force during approved activities and operations, as well as cooperation on hydrography and nautical charts, including data sharing, training and joint production of navigational charts.
The Indian government said Swaminathan’s visit was significant in light of the new maritime arrangement, describing it as an expanded framework for practical cooperation between the two countries.
The visit follows another round of defence talks in Wellington last month. Officials from the two countries met on August 24 for the second India-New Zealand Defence Strategic Dialogue.
